# Famous Ancestors/Relatives



## SquishierCobra (Mar 9, 2012)

Why am I making this thread? I just found out that I am distantly related to some pretty famous people.

Like President Calvin Coolidge, authors Edgar Rice Burroughs (who wrote Tarzan) and Laura Ingalls Wilder (who wrote Little House on the Prairie), and a crapload of others.


----------



## Tailsy (Mar 9, 2012)

Gerard Butler crashed in my uncle's bath once.


----------



## Murkrow (Mar 9, 2012)

I should have an answer to this question because my dad does tonnes of family tree, but I can't think of anyone famous he's found a direct link to.


I _think_ he found a connection to someone in this picture, but that might have turned out to be untrue.


----------



## Tarvos (Mar 9, 2012)

Absolutely zero interesting people.

Or well, I probably am, amazingly distantly seventh cousin 4 times removed or something, given the size of my family tree.


----------



## goldenquagsire (Mar 9, 2012)

My great-great-grandpa (I think that's the right number of 'greats'?) on my mother's side was the Chief Rabbi of Britain in the early 20th century, according to my grandma. That's about the most famous person I'm related to...


----------



## shy ♡ (Mar 9, 2012)

Twilight Sparkle said:


> Gerard Butler crashed in my uncle's bath once.


Was your uncle still occupying the bath?


----------



## Tailsy (Mar 9, 2012)

pathos said:


> Was your uncle still occupying the bath?


No, but that definitely would have been a more interesting story. (They were both law students at Glasgow at the same time. Fun, fun, fun, fun lookin forward to the weekend etc.)


----------



## Datura (Mar 9, 2012)

My ancestors from a few generations ago were higher-ups in the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (Nazi Party) and I'm pretty sure some not-too-distant relatives are/were active Klan leaders. Fuck my family, seriously.


----------



## Stormecho (Mar 10, 2012)

Some dude on my dad's side was a Spanish duke who travelled to Poland and got some land in what became Ukraine a few centuries back. 

...That's it, really. I don't know anyone else that is fairly important or famous and definitely not anyone recent.


----------



## Cap'n Sofa (Mar 10, 2012)

The guy who invented mirrors on cars. If you go really far back, like 700+ years, you get a lot of royalty type people from the British Isles and France, including Henry I, Duncan I, Charlemagne, and a whole bunch of other people, some of whom have very silly names like Hextilda.


----------



## Phantom (Mar 10, 2012)

Cap'n Sofa said:


> The guy who invented mirrors on cars. If you go really far back, like 700+ years, you get a lot of royalty type people from the British Isles and France, including Henry I, Duncan I, Charlemagne, and a whole bunch of other people, some of whom have very silly names like Hextilda.


 
Totally read 'Hextilda' wrong. Guess what I read it as?

Anywho, I have no idea. I know someone wrote a book on my family, dating it back to colonial times. Apparently they came from somewhere near what is now Maine. I sort of want to ask my gram now.


----------



## Superbird (Mar 10, 2012)

My friend's great grandfather was apparently involved in creating Mountain Dew.


----------



## bulbasaur (Mar 10, 2012)

Huh, uh my grandfather was the chief engineer for Beijing's subway and owns a commercial centre somewhere in Beijing :/ Farther back I wouldn't know.


----------



## M&F (Mar 10, 2012)

My uncle plays bass for a moderately famous band.


----------



## ultraviolet (Mar 10, 2012)

One of my cousins is an actor who's been on a few TV ads here and he writes his own musicals and stuff iirc. And my great-grandmother used to live on the same street as Rolf Harris when they were kids! apparently he was an annoying little shit, too.


----------



## Dannichu (Mar 10, 2012)

Apparently, my godfather (once married to my aunt, but they've been divorced for nearly two decades and I've not seen him in _years_) is related to Scott of the Antarctic.

Nothing especially exciting other than that, except if you Wiki my surname, the following comes up: "[...] The Rundle family was then centered in the southwest, where amongst other things - and like many in the area - the family was a prominent member of the seafaring community and owned a large number of taverns until the mid seventeenth century." Which I have taken to mean "The Rundles WERE ALL PIRATES :DDDDD".


----------



## Phantom (Mar 10, 2012)

I found out I have a cousin who is an active duty US Navy SEAL. That's cool.


----------



## Cap'n Sofa (Mar 10, 2012)

Oh! I forgot: one branch of my ancestors came over from the Mayflower, and another guy came to America possibly fleeing the law as his immigration records are pretty much nonexistent. In the islands of North Carolina one of my ancestors was some folktale superman.

Family history is fun, man.


----------



## Flora (Mar 10, 2012)

Some guy on my dad's side founded a village in Scotland!

uh, other than that not really


----------



## Monoking (Mar 10, 2012)

I'm releated to the guy who played Doc Brown in the the 'Back To the Future' movies.
:D
And Charlemagne, if you go far enough back. I know there's a bunch more, but those are the only ones I can 'member at the moment.


----------



## Dar (Mar 10, 2012)

Raichie Belle said:


> I'm releated to the guy who played Doc Brown in the the 'Back To the Future' movies.


Lucky. As far as I know, I got nothing.


----------



## Spatz (Mar 10, 2012)

Flora said:


> Some guy on my dad's side founded a village in Scotland!
> 
> uh, other than that not really


Here I must step you up. My family were the original owners of Urqhart Castle on Loch Ness before King Charles the 1st (?) stole it from the good scots. Now it's just some historical monument I'd like to see. But here I sit in Canada because my scond great grandfather moved here, and my Great-Grandfather became a lawyer having attended the University of Manitoba in the early 1930's. And my Dad still has the yearbook from that. Talk albout rare possesions...


----------



## Zora of Termina (Mar 10, 2012)

If I do recall correctly, I'm related to Abraham Lincoln on my father's side.


----------



## Blazie (Mar 10, 2012)

My great-great-grandfather (or some guy I'm related to who was alive quite a while ago) drew the logo for Old Dutch. :3 I believe it's been added onto and colour has been added, but he drew the little windmill. :D

Also I don't remember if this is the same guy or not but one of my ancestors MAY have been on the Titanic. And died. Which is cool, I guess. And sad.


----------



## Coloursfall (Mar 10, 2012)

Well, I'm descended from both the Douglas and Macpherson clans from Scotland, if that counts.


----------



## Eta Carinae (Mar 10, 2012)

I believe Donatello is a distant ancestor of mine.  The French side of my family also came to Canada (or New France at the time) as some of the first settlers.


----------



## ... (Mar 10, 2012)

Family history has been a bitch for me, as there's only one traceable line and that's my grandfather's on my mother's side. About the most interesting thing I know of is that my 3Xgreat-grandfather came to the US from either Ireland or Scotland at about the same time the first draft of the US Constitution was written. And that my 2Xgreat or X1great-grandfather MAY have fought in the American Civil War. Highly likely, considering my mom's side of the family lives within walking distance of the Mason-Dixon Line, but unconfirmed due to the lack of census papers. I had to do a family history project for American history class and I was able to conclude with certainty that I have a boring-ass family.


----------



## Tailsy (Mar 10, 2012)

if scotland is the most exciting thing that happened in your family i feel super-bad for all of you


----------



## Murkrow (Mar 10, 2012)

Dannichu said:


> Apparently, my godfather (once married to my aunt, but they've been divorced for nearly two decades and I've not seen him in _years_) is related to Scott of the Antarctic.
> 
> Nothing especially exciting other than that, except if you Wiki my surname, the following comes up: "[...] The Rundle family was then centered in the southwest, where amongst other things - and like many in the area - the family was a prominent member of the seafaring community and owned a large number of taverns until the mid seventeenth century." Which I have taken to mean "The Rundles WERE ALL PIRATES :DDDDD".


Are you secretly two people I went to school with? Because they never stopped going on about how they're related to Scott of the Antarctic and pirates.


----------



## M&F (Mar 10, 2012)

ultraviolet said:


> One of my cousins is an actor who's been on a few TV ads here and he writes his own musicals and stuff iirc. And my great-grandmother used to live on the same street as Rolf Harris when they were kids! apparently he was an annoying little shit, too.


And that reminds me, a brother of my bassist uncle's is also a moderately famous actor. He's been in a fairly successful TV show but his role was... Not exactly minor, but not exactly big. He does mostly plays, though. I've been to one -- he's frickin' hilarious.


----------



## RavenMarkku (Mar 10, 2012)

Ted Williams on my father's side.

tl;dr famous baseball player for the Boston Red Sox, also did some other pretty cool stuff

Other than that, no one.


----------



## Spatz (Mar 10, 2012)

Oh, and if it means anything, I'm descended form the Dorward Clan of Scotland, which in it's own right is a branch of the Gordon Clan.


----------



## Momo(th) (Mar 10, 2012)

My Grandma went to school with Dr. Seuss.

Other than that, I am Native American, so I'm probably related to some ancient tribe.

Or something.


----------



## Spoon (Mar 11, 2012)

Nah, I've done some digging and there isn't anyone famous in my family. They're a pretty cool bunch, though.


----------



## SquishierCobra (Mar 11, 2012)

Every famous person I seem to be related to is on my dad's side. My mom just has had relatives that knew famous people.


----------



## Tailsy (Mar 11, 2012)

(also if anyone thinks they're '''descended''' from a clan simply because they have relatives who have that surname

you are wrong

the more you know)


----------



## cee (Mar 11, 2012)

i'm related to genghis khan


----------



## ultraviolet (Mar 11, 2012)

Twilight Sparkle said:


> (also if anyone thinks they're '''descended''' from a clan simply because they have relatives who have that surname
> 
> you are wrong
> 
> the more you know)


some people take it really seriously! my ex-boyfriend's family is descended from clan Graham and they have their tartan (which tbh looks like ... ordinary tartan but apparently they're all different so) and they also have a huge stained-glass coat of arms! 

oh idk if this is relevant but apparently my family is descended from Irish convicts? but I don't know if it counts because I'm like 7th generation australian so um


----------



## Tailsy (Mar 11, 2012)

I have the Jardine clan shield in the hall! CAVE ADSUM (Beware I am here)! And tartan is a mysterious game. you might THINK they look like same, but...


----------



## Jolty (Mar 11, 2012)

Raichie Belle said:


> I'm releated to the guy who played Doc Brown in the the 'Back To the Future' movies.
> :D


YOU ARE AWESOME



ultraviolet said:


> And my great-grandmother used to live on the same street as Rolf Harris when they were kids! apparently he was an annoying little shit, too.


and this is absolutely hilarious idek why

as for me er
my brother is the antichrist
i have no idea if i'm related to anyone notable. if anyone notable is english and has Mays as a surname though, i am most likely related to them.


----------



## ultraviolet (Mar 11, 2012)

Twilight Sparkle said:


> I have the Jardine clan shield in the hall! CAVE ADSUM (Beware I am here)! And tartan is a mysterious game. you might THINK they look like same, but...


the Graham clan motto was like NE OUBLIE or something which meant 'never forget' I think? and the crest was an ANGRY HAWK beating up a heron which was supposed to be some other clan or something. and all the firstborn men have the middle name 'john' because of some dude in the Graham clan who died or something. Serious business! my family doesn't have a motto, everyone's talking too loud at the same time for there to be a motto

I used to think tartan was _red_ so yes it's certainly an adventure. :o



			
				Jolty said:
			
		

> and this is absolutely hilarious idek why


Rolf Harris 'being a little shit' was my great-grandmother's own words, by the way, not mine.


----------



## Dannichu (Mar 11, 2012)

Rasrap Smurf said:


> Are you secretly two people I went to school with? Because they never stopped going on about how they're related to Scott of the Antarctic and pirates.


I doubt it, though I'm pretty guilty for not stopping going on about how Cornish my family is. Which isn't exciting at all - as far as I can tell, everyone on my dad's side was born in Cornwall and farmed the land till they died, from the beginning of recorded time until my dad's generation (possible pirates notwithstanding).

On my mother's side, people have lived in Ireland, America, Australia, England and New Zealand within the last couple of generations (both my mum's parents were immigrants to the UK), so god knows where any of them actually came from.


----------



## Autumn (Mar 11, 2012)

My dad's uncle worked for Carlos Marcello if that counts.


----------



## M&F (Mar 11, 2012)

Twilight Sparkle said:


> (also if anyone thinks they're '''descended''' from a clan simply because they have relatives who have that surname
> 
> you are wrong
> 
> the more you know)


I should know, there's one corrupt politician in those silly US who coincidentally has my middle name.


----------



## SquishierCobra (Mar 11, 2012)

Mr. Fancy Pants said:


> I should know, there's one corrupt politician in those silly US who coincidentally has my middle name.


Out of curiosity, whom?


----------



## Coroxn (Mar 11, 2012)

Through my paternal grandmother I'm connected to the Dwyers of Cork, who were a really famous merchant family fifty years ago. Aside from that, nada. I'll have to be the famous one in my family, I suppose.


----------



## Frostagin (Mar 12, 2012)

None that I know of, but my friend says she is very distantly related to Billy Ray Cyrus.

Also, my aunt dated the drummer of Flat Mary Stone once.

But I wouldn't know much, my family lines are pretty ridiculous. :/


----------



## Monoking (Mar 12, 2012)

Jolty said:


> YOU ARE AWESOME


CONFIDENCE BOOST

I have really got to ask my mom about some other famous peeps we're realted to. She's big on researching the family tree lately.
Thought of another one: Christina Applegate. Yeah. :D


----------



## Ulqi-chan (Mar 12, 2012)

Umm, my aunt was part of a fairly famous local band. 
My mom's convinced we're related to Kate Middleton on her side of the family. •~•
... Nothing interesting here. >~<


----------



## H-land (Mar 12, 2012)

I'm not sure exactly who my late great aunt Yvonne wrote the _one_ document on my family's genealogy for, but I'm fairly certain that my... Hmm... Give me a minute...
Think my great-great-great grandmother's grandfather had the same great-great grandfather as one of the worst US presidents of the 19th century. It's not a direct relation, but James Buchanan was a bachelor, and like I say, he wasn't the greatest president, so I'm quite fine with not being directly related, I do believe.

Meanwhile, on my dad's side of the family, I'm related to a guy who developed a commercially unsuccessful steamboat before Fulton went and made money with steamships. ...Though there's more about him on Wikipedia than I expected.

(On the subject of tartans, there is a... something, hanging somewhere in our house, but my mom prefers the hunting tartan whenever she wears it, and we're still more German than Scottish, and... It's a mess. Genealogy is a mess.)


----------



## Black Yoshi (Mar 13, 2012)

My grandpa's cousin is Larry Byrd. So... Yeah. I think that's it.


----------



## Automata heart (Mar 13, 2012)

on my mums side, my non-blood related family we're some of the first people to arrive in New Zealand, and my blood related family were kicked out of France for being heretics. 
on my dads side, fucking no one.


----------



## Cerberus87 (Mar 13, 2012)

No one. And I hope that, at least until someone decent is born, no one.

Well I could be the only one, right?


----------



## CJBlazer (Mar 13, 2012)

It turns out that my Great-Great X5 Grandfather was actually a member of the English Royal Guard during the early reign of Queen Victoria. I would consider that to be quite important if not famous.


----------



## Wobbles (Mar 20, 2012)

Well, my great grandfather (Paternal grandfather's dad) played in a band with Louis Prima the guy that played King Louis in The Jungle Book.

If you wanna see, Clicky here. He's the guy on the big string bass.

I can't think of any others right now. 
If I had a picture available, I would claim relations to Santa Claus.


----------

